Relax Folks, TSA Stopped an 18-Month-Old Suspected Terrorist
They grow up so fast! Riyanna is just 18-months-old, and if you ask the TSA, today she's joined the ranks of suspected terrorists like Jeffrey Goldberg's tiny, 79-year-old mother-in-law, a seven-year old with cerebral palsy, and the four-year old child who likes to hug her grandma.
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Riyanna's story is just one more bit of evidence of how odd the TSA's judgment is, as officials detained the toddler because she was on a "no-fly list." Florida's ABC affiliate, WPBF, reports, Riyanna and her parents had just boarded a JetBlue flight when they were asked to deplane and speak to a TSA agent. "And I said, 'For what?'" Riyanna's mother told WPBF News's Ari Halt. "And he said, 'Well, it's not you or your husband. Your daughter was flagged as no fly.'" Sadly, the silliness of seriously investigating an 18-month-old baby is not unusual when it comes to the TSA's (aforementioned) recent blunders. Halt reports that Riyanna's family wasn't offered an apology and didn't choose to board the plane after the incident. The TSA and Jet Blue are now investigating the claim.
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Update 2:40 p.m. We received a statement from a TSA spokesperson who gave us this response:
TSA did not flag this child as being on the No Fly list. TSA was called to the gate by the airline and after talking to the parents and confirming through our vetting system, TSA determined the airline had mistakenly indicated the child was on a government watch list.
